Nneka’s mission for equity in pharmacy

Nneka Ezurike always wanted to work in healthcare, but she never thought that would look quite like her current career.  

Now the Associate-Owner of four Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Toronto, Nneka’s original plan was to complete pharmacy school, work for a few years, then go to medical school to train as a pediatrician. But, when an opportunity came up to take over the store where she was working as a staff pharmacist, she took it. It was a leap of faith that put her on a path that she could never have imagined for herself—and more importantly, one that has allowed her to better serve her community.  

Nneka understands first-hand how damaging anti-Black racism can be to people’s emotional well-being and physical health, not to mention their professional trajectory. She says she has experienced racist microaggressions throughout her career and has sometimes felt like she has to prove her qualifications to her patients and even, in the past, colleagues. The lack of diversity in the pharmacy sector is something that Nneka wants to see change.   

“The pharmacy profession should reflect the community it serves - and the Black population in Canada continues to grow with each census. It is also vital that pharmacists and other healthcare professionals understand the health disparities that Black Canadians experience as a result of anti-Black racism, and be positioned to provide culturally appropriate care,” Nneka says. 

These interrelated factors are what led Nneka toco-found Black Pharmacy Professionals of Canada (BPPC) in November 2023. During a virtual Black History Month pharmacist networking event that year, she realized that she wasn’t the only Black pharmacist in Canada who needed support or advice while navigating career prospects in the industry. BPPC now consists of 200 members, among them retired and licensed pharmacists, International Pharmacy Graduates (IPGs), technicians and students. The organization has hosted smaller networking and education events, but in 2025, things are ramping up with the first-ever BPPC Excellence Summit, which takes place this February, and a new mentorship program is launching in the spring.  

“I want to help create a more inclusive and equitable environment by contributing to initiatives that aim to address discrimination, biases and marginalization. Studies have shown that increasing the diversity of healthcare professionals has been associated with increased access to care and better outcomes not only for underserved minorities, but the population as a whole,” she says. “I believe what you do speaks louder than what you say, so I decided to do what I can within my capacity to drive change within the pharmacy profession and the Black community.”